Stephen Curry plays supporting role in All-Star Game

Updated 9:48 am, Monday, February 17, 2014

Western Conference guard Stephen Curry loses control of the ball against Eastern Conference Kyrie Irving (2) of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at the Smoothie King Center.

Western Conference guard Stephen Curry loses control of the ball against Eastern Conference Kyrie Irving (2) of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at the Smoothie King Center.

Photo: Derick Hingle, Reuters

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Stephen Curry finds himself in deep and looking back for the ball, as is the East's Carmelo Anthony.

Stephen Curry finds himself in deep and looking back for the ball, as is the East's Carmelo Anthony.

Photo: Gerald Herbert, Associated Press

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Kyrie Irving was the star of stars Sunday night, soaring past Stephen Curry, right, for two of his 31 points while earning MVP honors for a performance that also included 14 assists.

Kyrie Irving was the star of stars Sunday night, soaring past Stephen Curry, right, for two of his 31 points while earning MVP honors for a performance that also included 14 assists.

Photo: Gerald Herbert, STF

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Westyern Conference guard Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket against Eastern Conference guard Dwyane Wade (3) of the Miami Heat during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at the Smoothie King Center.

Westyern Conference guard Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket against Eastern Conference guard Dwyane Wade (3) of the Miami Heat during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at the

Western Conference guard Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.

Western Conference guard Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.

Photo: Bob Donnan, Reuters

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The Eastern Conference's Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat heads for the net as the Western Conference's Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Love #42 of the Minnesota Timberwolves defend during 2014 NBA All-Star game at the Smoothie King Center on February 16, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. less

The Eastern Conference's Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat heads for the net as the Western Conference's Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Love #42 of the Minnesota Timberwolves defend ... more

Photo: Christian Petersen, Getty Images

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Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving drives to the basket as Stephen Curry of Golden State (right) looks on during Sunday's All-Star Game in New Orleans.

Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving drives to the basket as Stephen Curry of Golden State (right) looks on during Sunday's All-Star Game in New Orleans.

Photo: Gerald Herbert / Associated Press

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Stephen Curry plays supporting role in All-Star Game

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NEW ORLEANS - After all the talk in the past week about Stephen Curry's sweet jump shot, the Warriors' point guard decided to display a decidedly different skill set in the highest-scoring All-Star Game in history.

The sharpshooter dished out 11 assists in helping Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin score 38 points apiece for the Western Conference, but all of that was somehow overshadowed by Carmelo Anthony's record-setting three-point night in the Eastern Conference's 163-155 victory Sunday at the Smoothie King Center.

After a week in which President Obama said Curry was the best shooter he has ever seen and Durant deemed the single-season three-point champion the best shooter in the world, Curry missed nine of his first 10 shots from distance.

Curry (12 points) finally made his second three-pointer of the night to give the West a 150-148 lead with 3:36 remaining, but the game's MVP, Kyrie Irving (31 points, 14 assists), knocked down a three-pointer 79 seconds later to give the East a 153-152 advantage.

After Durant missed a layup, Anthony hit his record eighth three-pointer to put the East ahead 159-155 with 1:01 on the clock. Durant and James Harden missed three-point shots on the West's next two possessions, and LeBron James and Paul George iced it for the East, which overcame an 18-point deficit by outscoring the West by 10 points in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth.

"We wanted this win," said James, who had 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. "They beat us the past three years, and they had a lot of bragging rights, so to be able to come through was huge. ... We have been getting killed a lot this season, talking about the Eastern Conference being pretty bad.

"It's a two-man race, and we're not holding up our end of the bargain, so it was special to get the win."

Curry and Oakland's Damian Lillard were two of six players making their All-Star Game debuts, signaling a changing of the guard in line with the entire weekend. Adam Silver oversaw his first All-Star weekend as NBA commissioner after replacing David Stern, who retired Feb. 1 after 30 years on the job, and the players wore sleeved jerseys for the first time.

Curry said he wasn't nervous in his first All-Star appearance, becoming the Warriors' first All-Star starter since Latrell Sprewell in 1995 and the franchise's first leading vote-getter at a position since Rick Barry in 1976. Curry's shooting stroke was troubled by the long breaks in between action.

Five minutes into the halftime intermission, he looked up and saw that the 27-minute countdown for returning to the court hadn't even started. So, he started group-texting his Warriors teammates.

"It was everything I hoped for and more," Curry said. "There's a lot of talent on that floor, and it was a well-put-together show from start to finish. Obviously, we didn't win, and I'd like to shoot the ball a little better, but all in all, in my first go-around, I felt pretty comfortable out there. Hopefully, it's the first of many."

Curry became the first Warriors All-Star with a double-double in points and assists, and the first since Nate Thurmond in 1967 with a double-double of any type.

Lillard is a second-year guard in Portland but got the "rookie treatment." He was the last player off the Western Conference bench and played only 8:44, but he managed to post nine points.

No one had a problem scoring in this one. The teams set All-Star records for combined points in a half (165) and in a game (318), and by the midway point of the third quarter, it looked as if someone would break Wilt Chamberlain's All-Star record of 42 points.

Durant and Griffin each had 30 by then, and Anthony had scored 26 of his 30.

"One of the (ball boys) tapped me on the shoulder and said that I tied the record, and I was like, 'What are you talking about?' He was like, 'The three-point record,' " Anthony said. "It was a great feeling. Obviously, my teammates knew that, and they just kept finding me."

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